Ban Mido
Ban Midou (美堂蛮, Midō Ban) is one of the main protagonists in Getbackers. Known variously as "The Man with the Evil Eye" (邪眼の男?) and "The Genius of Battles", he is the "B" in the Get Backers. He is 18 years old in the manga (21 in the anime). He is one quarter German and the grandchild of the "Last Witch of the 20th Century" which might refer to his name Ban translated means final. Brief Introduction Ban Midou (美堂蛮, Midō Ban ) is one of the main protagonists in Getbackers. Known variously as "The Man with the Evil Eye"(邪眼の男) and "The Genius of Battles", he is the "B" in the Get Backers. He is 18 years old in the manga (21 in the anime). He is one quarter German and the grandchild of the "Last Witch of the 20th Century" which might refer to his name Ban translated means final. Ban is a brother-like figure to Himiko Kudo after she came to terms with her brother's death, and later it is revealed Ban is Himiko's real brother. In the Getbackers duo, he's often the one who thinks of plans for their moves. Initially, Ginji Amano was seen to be a sidekick to him (in fact, when they first formed their partnership, Ban insisted that Ginji was only his sidekick); but as the story progresses, Ginji gradually held his own in their missions, and Ban acknowledged him as an equal. Ban is very intelligent, having studied fighting techniques, science, history, and magic from a very young age as a result of being hunted in Europe by shamans during childhood, and he surprises everyone with his knowledge more often than not. Also, he bears a striking resemblance to his father. In fact, in the arcs where his hair is "down" (Venus de Milo and Kiryuudo arcs), he looks like der Kaiser during his Getbacker days with Paul. Another trait which both father and son share is that while they may appear cold and ruthless on the surface, they were actually very warm and caring to their friends. Ban is shown to be an excellent violin player as well. Personality The first impression one usually gets of Ban would be that he is a rude person with a great sense of pride. With his unruly hair (he's often called "Urchin Head or Snake Bastard") and sunglasses, people immediately judge him poorly (it doesn't help that he gives unflattering nicknames to almost anyone he meets, e.g. "monkey trainer" Shido Fuyuki and "thread spool" Kazuki Fuuchouin). Despite this, he is actually a kind person with a strong sense of leadership and a very talented person. He is one quarter German and the grandchild of the "Last Witch of the 20th Century" which might refer to his name Ban translated means final. He's also a brother-like figure to Himiko Kudo after she has gotten over her brother's death. Later, it is found that Ban is Himiko's real brother. Himiko's average fighting skills meant that she often bites off more than what she can chew. In such situations, Ban can be counted on to come to her aid (though it must be noted that she does return the favour at times). On another note, he picked up smoking from Yamato (Himiko's brother), and his favourite brand is Marlboro. In the GB duo, he's often the one who thinks of plans for their moves. Initially, Ginji Amano was seen to be a sidekick to him (in fact, when they first formed their partnership, Ban insisted that Ginji was only his sidekick). As the story progresses, Ginji gradually held his own in their missions, and Ban acknowledged him as an equal. Although seemingly rude, impatient, and cocky, Ban is decidedly a mysterious person behind his less eloquent personality. As a "combat genius", Ban is very intelligent, having studied fighting techniques, science, history, and magic from a very young age as a result of being hunted in Europe by shamans during childhood, and surprises everyone with his knowledge more often than not. Meanwhile, Ban is often quite sentimental to even the people he's rude with. He decided to help out Shido Fuyuki, who hardly gets along with Ban, after Madoka Otowa was kidnapped by the Kiryuudo 7; when Shido sacrificed his life for Madoka, Ban screamed at Shido's corpse, questioning him as to how Madoka will be able to live without him (thankfully, Shido was later resurrected by Amon Natsuki, who died in turn). He has also helped the "resurrection" of Natsuki in the Infinity Fortress as a favor for MakubeX to cheer up Haruki Emishi, who had grieved the most for Amon's death. Also, he bears a striking resemblance to his father. In fact, in the arcs where his hair is "down" (Venus de Milo and Kiryuudo arcs), he looks like der Kaiser during his GB days with Paul. Another trait which both father and son share is that while they may appear cold and ruthless on the surface, they were actually very warm and caring to their friends. Fittingly, before his father disappeared (for the second time), his last wish was for Ban to help light his cigarette. Ban is shown to be an excellent violin player as well. Appearance Plot overview Abilities ''Jagan no Otoko''-邪眼の男 It was his grandmother who passed on the powers that Ban has today. Ban utilizes two main abilities. The evil eye Firstly, he can utilize the Evil Eye(邪眼) , a power which allows him to make anyone he makes eye contact with to watch a one minute long illusion, however, it should only be used three times per day. The Evil Eye cannot be used on the same person again for the next 24 hours. Furthermore, while the illusion only lasts for one minute, should Ban will it, the one affected by the Jagan can be placed inside a time-warp zone via the illusion created by the technique, meaning that to them, one minute in real life could last up to several hours in the Jagan's influence. It is rare for Ban to use the Evil Eye to defeat his opponents, preferring to use it to aid in the retrieval process or to give clients happy/nightmarish dreams, however he has been shown to use it in defeating Takuma Fudou's insight during the blank second. Additionally, there is a penalty for using the Jagan a fourth time within the 24 hour limit. After the fourth use the user disappears both from the physical world and from the memories of all who know him. With that in mind, Ban requested one final duel with Akabane Kurodou. After an intense struggle, the two manage to strike each other, causing Ban to collapse and Akabane to disappear. However, Akabane had not died, as assumed, but, instead, implanted a surgery scalpel into Ban's chest as a "final favor", given to Ban for allowing Akabane to see his own limits. Akabane later explained that because having Ban disappear would be a pity, he attempted to fool the Archive by faking Ban's death and delaying Ban's disappearance from using his fourth Jagan just long enough for Ginji to reach Babylon City and resolve everything, thus saving Ban from disappearing. Snake bite His second ability is the Snakebite. Because he is a direct descendant of the Witch clan, and being born under the star of Asclepius, he possesses incredible superhuman strength, which gives him a gripping force of 200 kgf (2 kN) in each hand. It is also shown that he is strong enough break open the doors of an armored steel truck and punch hard enough to create large craters in the ground or break walls; occasionally even collapsing multi-storied buildings. While powering up to 100 percent, the ghost-like outline of a giant snake can be seen surrounding him, although just as frequently, when he utilizes this attack, a single wing will appear above his right arm as he strikes. This occurred during his battles with Lucifer and then later during the Ogre Battle with Ginji. At full power, his right hand becomes that of a dragon's claw. In the "Get Back the Lost Time" arc, his skills grow by leaps and bounds due to his learning abilities. Against Natsuhiko, he manages to execute a new move, "Snake Kill", using his left hand (his right hand is his main attacking hand). Asclepius In order to summon Asclepius, Ban must say a chant, of which there are three versions: Version 1: (Now, by your right hand)...Before the end of this cursed fate, I shall be the one to embody Asclepius as he descends from the high heavens. Now, I shall state my request: Attack with your fangs of venom!" Version 2: "Now, in thy right hand... Thou whilt host Ophiuchus, who comes from the cosmos... until thy cursed fate ends. Now be devoured... by the poisoned fangs of the serpent!" Version 3: "Even now, at thy right hand, until this cursed fate is spent. Is the one who houses, Asclepius, who descends from the milky way on high, Therefore I invoke thy. Feed with your fangs of poison!" While he's saying the incantation, the outline of a snake's scaly body can sometimes be seen around him. Ban has never lost a fight after invoking the incantation even without using the Evil Eye (as was the case in his IL battle with Fudou). Often, his opponent will get the VERY short end of the stick. Due to its overwhelming results, some fans have jokingly called this move "Ban's winning speech". Reception Anime News Network praised the style of the Jagan in the manga to be a "horrifying nightmare". The Tokyo Pop translation of the Ban Midou dialogues has been criticized for making him sound like gangsters. Ban has also ranked highly in the popularity polls of the series, continuously placing in the top ten and ranking third once. Category:List of Getbackers Characters